Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, asserting that “idiots donโt understand idioms” as she defended herself against what is being called “derogatory” remarks about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Moitra clarified that her comments were “idiomatic” and accused the police of twisting her words.
An FIR was registered against Moitra at Raipur’s Mana Camp police station under Sections 196 and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges relate to promoting enmity between groups and making statements that are prejudicial to national integration.
Moitra had allegedly said in Bengali that Shah’s “head should be cut off” for failing to stop infiltration of illegal Bangladeshis into India. Her comments have led to backlash.
Reacting to the controversy, the TMC leader clarified her use of Bengali expressions. “Similarly, in the Bengali language, ‘matha kata jawa, we say lojjay matha kata chhe,’ which means that ‘you are so ashamed that you can cut your own head off. When we say matha kata jawa, matha ke tebi le rakha, it means taking accountability, owning responsibility. This is an idiom. Now, of course, idiots donโt understand idioms, which is where we are,” she said.
Moitra claimed her words had been misinterpreted and that she was speaking in metaphors and idioms. She provided examples, saying, “So in June of 2024, when the Lok Sabha results came out, an ‘abki baar, 400 paar’ (this time, over 400) fell flat on its face. And the foreign media reported that the results, only 240 seats, was a slap in the face for Narendra Modi. Now, did the Bharatiya Janata Partyโs claim really fall flat on its face? No. Did someone go and slap the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji on his face? No.”
She continued, “Then everyone said that ‘heads will roll.’ Did heads roll? Yes, they did. These are what in the English language called idioms, right? When you say heads will roll, it refers to when kings used to cut the heads off of people who were disobedient. And when you cut the head off, it starts rolling. A beheaded head can only roll. So you donโt really cut someoneโs head off. Itโs an idiom, itโs a metaphor for accountability.”
Moitra also directly addressed the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Raipur and accused officials of filing false cases.ย
She also alleged that the FIR was based on a faulty Google translation. โThe FIR says, Mahua Moitra ne kaha gala kaat diya. I said, matha ke tebi le, thatโs a lot different from gala kaat diya. When you use Google Translate from Bengali to English and English to Hindi to file fake FIRs, this is what happens.โ
Moitra warned that she would challenge the case in court, saying, “Are you done with filing of fake FIRs? Iโm going to go to the court again, it will be another slap in the face and then more heads will roll.”
She further accused the BJP of trying to turn her into a “political victim”. “So really, every time you do this, you do this stupidity of making a heroine out of me. You did this before; you expelled me from Parliament, and I won and came back. Every time you do this to me, politically it gets you nowhere; it makes me into Joan of Arc.”
“Havenโt you learnt your lesson? Let me be, because every time you try to fight me, you lose, and I win, and I come out stronger. So take your FIRs and keep them where the sun doesnโt shine, and hopefully youโll get a better sense soon,” the TMC MP said.
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